Air New Zealand warns of delays as wild winds batter Wellington Airport

Air New Zealand is warning passengers due to fly today or tomorrow to expect delays or even cancellations with severe gales and low visibility forecast for Wellington.

The capital is bracing for severe wind gusts of up to 130km/h, with a strong wind warning in place from 6pm today until 3pm tomorrow.

Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren said required upgrades at Wellington Airport were adding extra pressure during the poor weather, with low-visibility conditions expected to further impact operations.

“We know flight disruptions can be frustrating; however, safety is our highest priority.

“Our teams are working hard to proactively manage cancellations and customer rebooking to get affected customers on to the next available service and to their destination,” she said.

Multiple weather warnings and watches are in place for the country, with another bout of wild weather set to hit from tonight.

Heavy rain is forecast for Gisborne and Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, inland Manawatū-Whanganui and parts of northern Canterbury, with some areas expecting more than 150mm of rain and peak intensities of up to 30mm an hour.

Severe gales with damaging gusts of up to 130km/h are expected across eastern regions, Wellington and parts of Marlborough, with large waves, dangerous sea conditions and possible coastal inundation about exposed coasts.

A heavy rain watch is also in place for Wellington outside the eastern hills, where periods of heavy rain may approach warning levels from Sunday evening through Monday, raising the risk of rapidly rising waterways, slips and surface flooding.

MetService warned streams and rivers could rise rapidly, with surface flooding, slips and hazardous driving conditions likely, urging people to stay up to date with forecasts in case warnings are upgraded.

Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. Before he joined the Hamilton-based team, he worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive. He previously worked as a journalist in Canada for Black Press Media and won a fellowship with the Vancouver Sun.